Darrow School is a

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co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

college-preparatory school A college-preparatory school (often shortened to prep school, preparatory school, college prep school or college prep academy) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to state school, public, Independent school, private independent or p ...

located in

New Lebanon, New York New Lebanon is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Columbia County, New York, United States, southeast of Albany, New York, Albany. The population was 2,514 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 census, New Lebanon town, Col ...

. The school serves boarding and day students in grades 9-12 and PG (post-graduate).

History

Darrow opened in the fall of 1932 as the Lebanon School for Boys. In 1938 president Charles S. Haight died and C. Lambert Heyniger purchased the school, becoming its headmaster and treasurer. Heyniger was a

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

alumnus who had taught as a missionary in China and then pursued graduate study at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

before joining

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. He renamed the school in the Shaker tradition, after a family prominent among the religious colony. In 1963, three Darrow students set a fire and destroyed the century-old dining hall and fire leveled the 156-year-old gymnasium. Both fires threatened dormitories housing 175 pupils. The boys had hoped school officials would send all the pupils home until repairs were made. In late 2023, the school's precarious financial situation almost led to closure.

Campus

The campus is situated on the original site of the Mount Lebanon Shaker Village, a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

. It spans over 365 acres of land, with 26 buildings, tennis courts, playing fields, ponds, orchards, pastures, marshlands, and a vast forest.

Student body

The school currently enrolls 110 students from across the United States and beyond.

Athletics

Student participate in a number of competitive and non-competitive sports: *Fall **Cross-country **Soccer **Outdoor education **Mixed martial arts *Winter **Girls varsity basketball **Boys varsity basketball **Boys prep basketball **Alpine *Spring **Lacrosse **Softball **Outdoor education **Esports

Traditions

The strong visual traces of Shaker austerity stand in contrast with the modern and less conventional morés of some affluent students raised in such different moral settings. In an interview, teacher Ed Noggle stated that a fascination with ghosts resulted. "These young people," Noggle says, "are very much of this world, very sensual, sexual beings. It has always been a matter of 'Ha, ha, what would the Shakers do if they could see all this? They'd roll over in their graves.'"

Notable alumni

* Gerald A Cann, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Class of 1949 * Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr.,

Apollo 12 Apollo 12 (November 14–24, 1969) was the sixth crewed flight in the United States Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon. It was launched on November 14, 1969, by NASA from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Commander Charles ...

commander and third man to walk on the Moon, Class of 1949 * Michael Flomen, artist, attended 1969-1971 *

August François von Finck August François von Finck (born 2 May 1968) is a German businessman and the son of August von Finck, Jr., thus grandson of August von Finck, Sr. August François von Finck's great-grandfather Wilhelm von Finck was the co-founder of the private ...

, German businessman *

Sam Harper Sam Harper is an American filmmaker. Career Harper was born into an artistic family with a father who was a painter and a mother who was a writer. After college, he worked as a reporter and associate editor for the advertising industry trade ...

, screenwriter of ''

Cheaper by the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bes ...

'' and ''

Cheaper by the Dozen 2 ''Cheaper by the Dozen 2'' is a 2005 American family comedy film directed by Adam Shankman. It is the sequel to ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' (2003) and stars Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Tom Welling, Piper Perabo, and Hilary Duff with Kevin G. Schmidt ...

''. Class of 1974 *

William H. Hudnut III William Herbert Hudnut III (October 17, 1932 – December 18, 2016) was an American author and politician who served as the 45th mayor of Indianapolis from 1976 to 1992. A Republican, his four terms made him the city's longest-serving mayor. ...

, mayor of

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and television shows since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future (franchise), ''B ...

, actor * Donald Cushing McGraw, Jr., businessman, Class of 1943 * Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, radio personality, Class of 1978 *

David Henry Sterry David Henry Sterry is an American author, actor/comic, activist and former sex worker. Biography Early life Sterry's parents were immigrants from Newcastle, England. He grew up in New Jersey; Birmingham, Alabama; Virginia, Minnesota; and Dalla ...

, writer

Notable faculty/staff

Antonio Anderson Antonio Andrew Anderson (born June 5, 1985) is an American former basketball player and the current head coach at Darrow School. He majored in interdisciplinary studies at the University of Memphis and played basketball for several years profe ...

Frederic M. Wheelock Frederic Melvin Wheelock (September 19, 1902 – October 29, 1987) was an American Latin professor, best known for his authorship of '' Wheelock's Latin''. Early life He was the son of Franklin M. and Etta R. (née Goldthwaite) Wheelock. H ...

Leah Penniman Leah Penniman () is an American farmer, educator, author, and food sovereignty activist. Penniman is co-founder, co-director and Program Manager of Soul Fire Farm, in Grafton, New York. Biography Leah Penniman was born to Reverend doctor Ad ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Private high schools in New York (state) Schools in Columbia County, New York Educational institutions established in 1932 1932 establishments in New York (state) Mount Lebanon Shaker Society